The first step.

Hi everyone,

I'm Terasita, and I am an addict. I can't go a day without my fixes. Sometimes, I binge on them for days at a time, and then wake up feeling strung out and haggard. But I want to stop.

What are my vices?

White sugar and caffeine.

I'm sure you're thinking "Oh, that's nothing." But if you thought that, watch out, because you don't know how evil these things really are.

What's Wrong with Sugar?

I dunno, what's wrong with cocaine? Oh right, it messes up your body and your life. Well, sugar is no different. White sugar is highly processed, and like most processed, chemically engineered products, it's completely imbalanced. So unlike a natural, balanced food which will energize your body, sugar attacks it.

Plus...it's HIGHLY addictive.

Exactly what does it do? Leeches vitamins and minerals from your bones, suppresses your immune system, sends your internal chemistry on a roller coaster ride, AND it can make you gain weight (because there's nothing else your body can do with it!), and is associated with cancer and diabetes.

Gross...actually, I'll take the cocaine. Caffeine does many of the same things, except it can also reduce your ability to feel safe and peaceful, mess with your fertility, and cause breast cysts. WHY would I ever want these things in my body.

Confession

I'm not perfect. And I try to be real on here, for as much as I update. I love being vegan, but there are times when I am lazy and I just don't feel like making myself a healthy, balanced meal. Yes, OK, one time I went for a 11 mile run and instead of cooking for myself afterwords, I let myself starve until I binged on a Big Mac (I also woke up the next day with the WORST hangover ever. And I don't even GET hangovers when I drink alcohol. Just shows you how nasty McD's is.).

But it's sort of stupid for me to go through all this effort to remove meat and dairy from my diet if I'm just going to leave stuff like sugar in. Like I said, it'd be like me harping on eating healthy and then doing loads of cocaine.

It's going to be hard to get off my drugs. But I am worth it. I am worth taking the extra time to use sweeteners like brown rice sweetener or real maple syrup. I am worth choosing an apple over gummi worms.

I am worth a healthy diet.

And I am also worth a bubble bath, which I will now be taking.

Update? What?

I am a horrible blogger. But you never know, I could get better.

However, I thought I'd give you an update on my progress! The half-marathon is set for October 17th. We had to reschedule because my aunt forgot, plus a family gathering is now scheduled for the original weekend, so it will be my mother and I running on the 17th! That being said, it will be a long, long race if SOMEONE (aka me) doesn't get off their lazy butt and work out more!!

Oh goodness, but I am down....18 pounds!! Yes, 18 pounds! Which puts me down about 1-2 sizes to a solid size 8.

I've been doing well on my diet. As my runs have been increasing in distance, I've found it increasingly difficult to consume enough without dairy, so I have occasionally had to add that back in. However, I've also been learning to cook wholly from scratch, which has been...interesting. Sometimes delicious...sometimes not. But more and more delicious as time goes on!

I'm preparing to enter into my senior year of college, and I couldn't be more excited and frightened. In a way, I'm very ready to be out on my own. I look forward to my OWN house, my OWN career, my OWN life. However, it's also frightening, knowing that I'm going to be making career decisions that could affect me forever. Plus, I haven't quite ruled out graduate school and possibly graduate school in China. The high chance that I will be returning to the PRC in a year is both exciting and frightening.

What else? I want to learn to dance!!! On the one hand, I've always wanted to learn how to swing and jive. But on the other hand, there's a wonderful Chinese dance academy in the area which would also give me a language community to practice in. Which will I choose? Will I be good? (spoiler alert: I'm a horrible dancer. I just love it)

Until next time!

PS The cats are absolutely lovely. Thanks for asking!

Suffering

A wise man once said, "It is truly remarkable that in a world of so many, such a vast and unfulfillable hole can be left with the death of just one."


My friend's wonderful, healthy, 50 year old father just passed away suddenly. It's a tragedy too vast for words, so I wont try to say much more.

But please, if you're reading this, take this time to show the ones in your life that you love them. Sometimes, life just passes for no reason, and you never know when it'll be your last chance to say those words.

No matter what happens tomorrow, you have the gift of today. Never take for granted even one minute with those you love in your life.